South Asia Economic Summit begins in city Saturday

The 9th South Asia Economic Summit is set to begin in Dhaka on Saturday with a focus on cross-cutting and thematic issues over regional cooperation, connectivity and trade in South Asia.

With the theme of ‘Reimaging South Asia in 2030’, the two-day summit will be held at Le Meridien hotel in the capital. Over 100 speakers from the South Asia will address its four plenary and nine parallel sessions.

Centre for policy development in collaboration with four other regional think tanks -- research and information system for developing countries, India, South Asia watch on trade, economics and environment, Nepal, sustainable development policy institute, Pakistan and the institute of policy studies of Sri Lanka -- is organising the summit.

President Abdul Hamid will inaugurate the summit, while speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury address its concluding session, said CPD executive director Mustafizur Rahman at a press briefing at BRAC center Inn on Thursday.

The summit will also highlight potentials of regional and sub-regional forums particularly the South Asian association for regional cooperation in achieving sustainable development goals the sustainable development agenda 2030 by the South Asian countries, he said.

He said it will be a congregation of experts and the policymakers as ministers, parliamentarians, business leaders, academicians, government officials and media people from the region will join the summit.

The CPD executive director said 18 speakers from India, 10 from Nepal, four from Afghanistan, 11 from Sri Lanka, 2 from the Maldives, eight from Pakistan and 10 other experts on South Asia region will join the summit.

He said the summit may contribute towards strengthening official process of SAARC as South Asia needs stronger regional cooperation amid many common challenges to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Mustafizur said the CPD will send the summit outcomes to SAARC policymakers and the SAARC secretariat.